


You Make Me Feel Like I am Home

by jeweldancer



Series: You Make Me Feel Like I am Home [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Malnutrition, Paramedic Dean, Protective Dean Winchester, cursing, mentions of minor injury, sex worker cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 04:32:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12646149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeweldancer/pseuds/jeweldancer
Summary: Castiel shivered in his thin t-shirt. His usual spot normally shielded him from the worst of the late fall weather, but tonight the wind had changed direction, and Cas could feel the bitter cold deep in his bones. Wearing a coat wasn’t an option in his line of work. At one point he’d had a leather jacket left over from his previous life, but it had been stolen as he slept one night. Castiel had asked around about it, but no one had been forthcoming, and he’d let it go.That was his modus operandi--fly under the radar, don’t cause any trouble, and live to see another day.





	You Make Me Feel Like I am Home

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to write something to get my mind off things. Apologies because it's probably not that good.

Castiel shivered in his thin t-shirt. His usual spot normally shielded him from the worst of the late fall weather, but tonight the wind had changed direction, and Cas could feel the bitter cold deep in his bones. Wearing a coat wasn’t an option in his line of work. At one point he’d had a leather jacket left over from his previous life, but it had been stolen as he slept one night. Castiel had asked around about it, but no one had been forthcoming, and he’d let it go. 

That was his modus operandi--fly under the radar, don’t cause any trouble, and live to see another day. 

Castiel heard the rumble of an engine, and a huge black car turned the corner. It was old, but shiny, and well-cared for. (“Classic, Cassie, it’s a classic car,” the voice of his brother, Gabe, echoed in his mind. “Cars don’t get old, they become classics.”) Cas shook away the memory and stepped forward to the curb.

The car slowed, and the driver’s side window rolled down. The driver was clean-cut, with a pleasant expression. Castiel put a smile on his face and leaned down. “What can I do for you, sugar?” He looked into the man’s eyes, and instead of lust, he saw concern.

“Are you okay? Did your car break down or something?”

Castiel blinked. Was this a joke? Some sort of role-play? “Well, I bet you’d be just the person to fix it for me, wouldn’t you?”

“I could take a look at it, yeah. Where’d you leave it?”

Castiel sighed. “Look, man. Are we gonna do this or not? Cause if we’re not, I gotta move on.”

“Hell, yeah, man. Get in, you look like you’re freezing.” 

Castiel trotted around the back of the car and slid in the passenger seat. The heat blasting from the dash was pure heaven. He put his hands in front of the vents and closed his eyes in bliss. 

“What are you doing out without a coat, for God’s sake?” The man leaned into the back and rummaged around, emerging with a worn black hoodie. “Here, put that on before you get frostbite.”

Castiel accepted the hoodie and looked at it blankly. 

“What, you’re too good to wear something that ugly? Put it on, man.”

Castiel slid his arms in the sleeves, which were slightly too long, and wrapped it around him. Despite its appearance, the lining was blissfully soft. “Usually people want me to take clothing off, not put more on,” he joked.

The man pulled away from the curb slowly, frowning. “You must not be from around here.”

Castiel snuggled down into the hoodie. “So, what are you looking for? A blow job, a fuck…” He suddenly lurched forward as Dean slammed on the brakes. 

“Son of a bitch! Are you a hooker?”

“Umm, yeah. What did you think I was?” Castiel felt a cold spark of fear in his chest. He reached for the door handle.

“Hey, hey, hey, man. Hold up. I’m sorry, I promise I’m not usually this dumb, it’s just that I didn’t really think about...you know, a male prostitute.”

Castiel hesitated, not wanting to leave the warm car. “Plenty of people into that kind of thing,” he mumbled, looking down at his shoes. There was a hole in the side of the left one.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure there are. And you’re very, umm, handsome, and I’m sure there are plenty of people…”

Castiel wanted to cry. He was going to have to start all over again, and it was unlikely there would be many prospects on such a cold night. “Well, sorry for the misunderstanding.” He reached for the door again.

“Wait. How...how much for the whole night?”

Cas raised his head sharply, expecting mockery, but the man’s eyes were kind.

“Two hundred if we go back to my room, two-fifty if we go to a motel.”

“To your room at…”

“At the brothel, yes.” 

“Umm, okay then. Mind if we go to a motel?”

“It’s your money, man.” Castiel settled back into the seat. He was going to be warm all night, and he might even get a hot shower out of the deal. Things could be worse. “There’s a motel across the street there.”

The man peered out the window, and wrinkled his nose slightly. “Is it okay if we go to another one?”

“Whatever floats your boat.” 

The car picked up speed, and Cas watched the familiar streets pass by in a blur.

“My name’s Dean.” Castiel glanced at him, nodded, and stayed silent. “And yours is…”

Cas sighed heavily. “Castiel.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

“Some people like it. Kinda exotic, you know.”

“I like it. I just never heard it before.” Dean hesitated. “Mind if I make a pit stop first?”

“Nope.” Castiel turned back to the window. 

Dean pulled into the parking lot of a diner, and parked the car near the front door. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” He shut off the engine and pocketed the keys. Castiel watched him walk into the diner. Even though the heater had stopped, it was still much warmer than outside. Dean greeted the brown-haired woman behind the counter, and she smiled broadly. 

The woman bustled around behind the counter, packing up two takeout bags, and Dean pulled out his wallet to pay. The woman said something, and they both laughed, Dean throwing his head back. He balanced the paper bags on one arm as he pushed the diner door open. Castiel watched him warily as he opened the car door and settled the bags in the back seat. 

“Ellen’s diner is the best in town,” Dean explained, and Cas nodded silently. The bags smelled delicious, and his stomach growled loudly. “S’okay, Cas, we’re almost there.” After another couple of blocks, they arrived at a Comfort Inn. It had been years since he’d been in a hotel that nice. 

There was another wait while Dean checked in, this one a little more unpleasant due to the good smells from the takeout. They made their way up to a second story room, and Dean held the door open, motioning Cas inside. 

Cas stopped short. There were two double beds. “Hey, man, they gave you the wrong room. There are two beds here.”

“Well, yeah. Cause there are two of us.” Castiel tilted his head and squinted at Dean warily. “C’mon, man. We’re not gonna fuck or anything.”

“What are we gonna do, then?” Castiel played with the zipper on the hoodie, his heart thudding in his chest. 

“We’re gonna eat dinner and watch TV, and then we’re gonna hit the hay. Sound okay?”

“You still have to pay me.”

“Obviously I’m going to pay you. $250 for the night, I remember.” Dean sighed and deposited the bags on the dresser. “Now are you gonna settle down and eat, or not?”

“Some of that’s for me?”

Dean was quiet for a minute. “Of course it is. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

Cas shrugged and sat down on the bed nearest to the window. Dean set a container of soup and two rolls on the nightstand next to him. “There ya go. I’m gonna go get something to drink from the vending machine. You want Coke, or water, or what?”

“Coke.” Castiel drank tap water, mostly. It had a funny taste that didn’t completely disappear even when he used it to brew coffee. He hadn’t had a damn Coke in months. 

Dean nodded. “Be right back.”

Castiel took the opportunity to examine the food. He had watched Ellen prepare it, and Dean carry it out to the car; he didn’t think that he’d had the opportunity to put anything in it. Well. Better safe than sorry. Cas switched his soup container for Dean’s, and pulled off the plastic lid.

God, it smelled good. Castiel took a small bite. Broccoli cheese. He ate a few more spoonfuls, then turned up the container and drank down the soup, stopping a few times to chew. He hadn’t had such a warm, pleasant feeling in his belly for a while. He then turned the rolls, which were still warm, and made short work of them as well. 

He tensed when he heard the door unlock, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Here ya go, Cas…” Dean’s voice trailed off. “My God, have you finished that already?”

Castiel shrugged again. “It was good.”

“Yeah it is. Ellen’s the best cook in town, ‘cept for my mom.” Dean pulled the lid off his soup, and motioned for Cas to hand him the empty container. He poured half the soup into it, and passed it back to Cas along with another roll.

“You don’t have to…”

“Hush. You’re obviously hungry, and I’m not gonna starve. I had a snack after I left work anyways.”

Castiel ate the rest of Dean’s soup, with a spoon this time, and finished off the roll in three bites. He popped the top on his Coke, and took a big sip, savoring the sweetness. It was good. 

“You feel better now?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Castiel stuck his hands in the hoodie pockets and leaned back against the headboard. 

“If you wanna shower, go ahead, man. I usually shower in the morning anyway.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Take as long as you want. I’ll just be watching TV.”

Cas wandered in the bathroom, taking the Coke with him. This hotel was nice enough that there were soaps, shampoo, shower gel, and lotion arranged next to the sink. He was going to take advantage of them all.

The water pressure was fantastic, and Castiel kept the temperature just shy of scalding. He was rarely able to take more than a brief shower in cool water. The fastest way for him to become persona non grata would be to use all the hot water. Meg might murder him in his sleep. 

The shampoo and body wash smelled faintly of almonds, and Cas scrubbed until the cold that had settled in his bones was eased. He shut off the water and hesitated, staring down at the tub. Well, Dean did say he could take as long as he liked. He plugged the drain and began filling the tub, dumping the rest of the shampoo and shower gel in the water. Bubbles began to form, and Cas leaned back, luxuriating in the sensations. 

He sat in the tub for over half an hour, letting his various aches and pains ease, until Dean knocked softly on the door. “Cas? Are you okay in there?”

Castiel sat upright suddenly, causing a small wave of water to splash out on the floor. “Oh, yeah, fine. I’ll be right out.”

“No, it’s no hurry. I just got worried about you. Take your time.” Footsteps faded away, and Castiel heard the bedsprings squeak. He unplugged the drain and watched the water swirl down, and reached for one of the fluffy, spotless white towels. He used the lotion on his chapped hands. Cas slid back into his jeans and t-shirt, and wrapped the black hoodie around his shoulders. 

Dean was lying back on his bed, seemingly engrossed in an episode of The Barefoot Contessa. She was making an anniversary dinner for her husband. “That’s nice of her,” Castiel murmured. 

Dean jumped and reached for the remote. “Oh! I was just, uh, flipping through the channels.” He reached it to Cas. “Here, you can watch whatever you want.”

Castiel stared at the remote. “It’s been ages since I’ve watched anything but the Hallmark Channel.” He began clicking through the channels slowly.

“Dude, for real? You guys watch the Hallmark Channel?”

“I guess people like to watch something different from their reality.”

“Yeah. That makes sense.”

“Ooh, Firefly. I used to like to watch that.” Cas stared wistfully at the screen.

“Yeah, it’s a good show. My brother Sam and I used to watch it. Shame about Joss Whedon turning out to be such a dick, though.” Castiel squinted at him. “Uh, never mind, man. Let’s watch.”

It was the episode where the crew ended up in the town where Jayne was a legend. Cas chuckled at the funny parts, and hummed along with “The Hero of Canton.” He nodded off right at the end, and was awoken by Dean stirring. 

“Hey, Cas, what time do you have to get up? I’ll set my phone alarm.”

Cas rubbed his eyes in confusion. “Uh, I should be back by eight. It’ll take me about 30 minutes to walk back, so maybe seven?”

“Dude, you’re not walking all that way, I’ll drive you. But we should still get up around seven so that that we can have breakfast.”

“All right then. Seven. What time do you have to be at work?”

“I don’t. I work four days on, three days off. I’m off til Monday morning.”

Castiel shrugged off the hoodie and crawled under the covers. Dean froze. “What’s that on your arm?”

Cas stared down at the scratches on his right arm. He had washed them carefully with dish soap the morning after he’d received them, but they were now red and puffy. “It’s nothing.”

“They look infected.” Dean frowned and swung his legs off the bed. “Listen, Cas. I’m a paramedic, okay? I’ve got a first aid kit in the car. Will you let me take care of your arm?”

Castiel covered the arm with a blanket. “Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s no trouble. But will you let me?” 

Cas sneaked a look at Dean. His eyes were so goddamn earnest. “I’ll let you.”

Dean was already stuffing his feet into his shoes. “Be right back, okay? I’m gonna fix you right up.”

Dean returned in a moment with a large white plastic box. “That’s the biggest first aid kit I’ve ever seen.”

“So mine’s the biggest you ever saw, huh? I’m kidding, I’m kidding, Cas! Here, let me see.” Dean sat on the edge of Cas’s bed and cupped his arm in both hands. “Okay, here we go.” Dean pulled on latex gloves and prodded the scratches gently. “Does that hurt? I’ll take that as a yes. I’ve got some painkillers in here, I’ll give you some after I’m done.”

Dean cleaned the scratches with a disinfectant, causing Cas to wince. Dean rubbed the underside of his arm, which made the pain fade a bit. He then covered the scratches with antibiotic ointment, and wrapped the arm with gauze. His hands were skilled and sure, and Cas inexplicably felt better just by being near him.

“There. Now you take these pills--they’re okay, they’re in a sealed package, you don’t have to worry.”

Cas flushed and accepted the ibuprofen packet, washing them down with the last of the Coke. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Get some sleep, okay?” Dean turned off the overhead lights, leaving the corner lamp on, and stripped off his flannel shirt and jeans. It left him with only a t-shirt and boxers. Cas averted his eyes. “Do you want me to turn off the TV?”

“Could we leave it on? And just turn the sound down?”

“Sure thing.” Dean smiled at him, and threw back the covers. “If you need anything, just yell, okay? Night, Cas.”

Dean was asleep within ten minutes, but Castiel watched another two episodes of Firefly before he nodded off. The throbbing in his arm was almost gone.

 

“Cas. Hey, Cas. Up and at ‘em.” Cas’s eyelids fluttered open to see Dean leaning over him, grinning. “C’mon, we’re going to breakfast.”

Castiel rolled out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. He didn’t have a toothbrush, but there was a tiny bottle of mouthwash on the sink. He washed his face and smoothed his hair back with his hands. That was as good as it got.

“Ready to go? Grab your coat, man.”

It wasn’t his, but Castiel slid on the hoodie anyway. Dean threw the empty takeout containers in the trash, and they were on their way. He fired up the car, and adjusted the heat. “Don’t worry, Cas, she’ll have it nice and warm in here in a minute.”

“She?”

“Yeah, she. The car. My baby.” Dean gave him a sidelong look. “Are you laughing at me?”

Castiel hid his smile. 

“Well, you won’t be laughing when you taste one of the doughnuts from Ellen’s diner. She makes them fresh every morning. You’ll like Ellen, I’ve known her since I was a kid.”

Castiel’s mouth fell open. “You’re going to take me in there? Won’t you be ashamed to be seen with me?”

“Not if you’re not ashamed of me.”

“Listen, Dean. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do this. Just drop me off where you picked me up…”

“Nah, Cas. You spent the night with me, least I can do is buy you breakfast.” Dean winked at him, and Castiel felt a little twinge in his chest. 

The diner was busy--clearly the doughnuts were popular--but Ellen made the time to speak to Dean, and she shook hands with Castiel. “Your arm all right, son?”

Castiel covered up the gauze peeking out of his cuff. “Yeah. Fine. Dean...Dean took care of it.”

“Well, then you’ll be all right for sure. Dean’s a good one.” She smiled and topped off their cups of coffee. 

Castiel had two glazed doughnuts and a blueberry muffin. Dean ate three doughnuts. They drank about a gallon of coffee between them. When Dean approached the cash register, wallet in hand, Ellen waved him away. “Your money’s no good today, Winchester. Just bring Cas there back sometime.”

“You bet, Ellen. Thanks.” Dean opened the door for Cas, and waved him through. “Ellen likes you. I can tell.”

“Nothin’ to like.”

“I’ll bet that ain’t the truth.” Dean grew quiet as they approached Cas’s street and pulled up to the curb. Cas swung open the car door slowly. He pulled off Dean’s hoodie and held it out to him. “Naw, man, you keep that. It’s cold out. Put it back on.”

Cas slid the jacket around him. It felt warm and soft as a hug. “Thank you for dinner, Dean. And breakfast. And everything. I...well. Thanks.”

“No problem, Cas.” As he walked away, he heard the squeak of a window unrolling. “Hey, Cas!” Castiel turned slowly. “Are you here every night?”

Castiel nodded mutely. 

Dean grinned, and the sight of it made Cas warmer than the jacket. “I’ll see you tonight, then. That is, if that’s okay with you.” Cas nodded again. The engine rumbled, and Dean was gone.


End file.
